Apollo meets astrology: Buzz Aldrin and Gustav Holst

作者：端再泐 发布时间：2019-03-08 05:18:01

By Rachel Courtland, Boston (Image: Rebecca Rodriguez) (Image: Rebecca Rodriguez) In this era of interplanetary probes and a seemingly endless supply of stunning images from the Hubble Space Telescope, it can be easy to forget how little we used to know about the world beyond Earth orbit. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin joined the Boston Pops at Boston’s Symphony Hall on Thursday for a performance of four movements from Gustav Holst’s The Planets to provide a helpful reminder. Aldrin, who walked on the moon nearly 40 years ago, is a strong advocate of space exploration. Before the performance, he told reporters that we should “dream bigger than Apollo” and “have humans occupy other planets in the solar system”. Such a vision would have been unheard of more than 90 years ago, when the British-born Holst composed his seven-planet suite amid the chaos of the First World War. In the absence of clear pictures of the planets, Holst’s compositions drew heavily on their astrological significance – which made for an interesting contrast with contemporary scientific knowledge. Aldrin read eloquent and factual introductions to the four selected movements – Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, and Venus – underscoring how much science has trumped imagination in our vision of the solar system. The oddest juxtaposition had to be in the portrayal of Venus. The hazy planet is named for the Roman goddess of love and astrologically associated with concepts like peace and beauty, and Holst’s movement is consequently sweeping and sweet. Aldrin’s narrated overture, however, was notably bleaker: “There is no water here. There is nothing to remove the carbon dioxide. Instead, for billions of years, the volcanoes of Venus have erupted out their hot poisonous gases, and with nowhere to go, they have accumulated thicker and thicker, leaving Venus hot, poisonous and barren. Nothing ever lived here. Venus holds only the sterile peace of death.” Cue the romantic music. Despite the disconnect between the actual planets and their musical characters, Holst did make a good decision in not including Pluto. When the oddball object was discovered, more than a decade after Holst completed ‘The Planets’, he chose not to write an additional movement – a decision that seems prescient, as Pluto was demoted in 2006 from planet to ‘dwarf planet’. ‘The Planets’ remains a stirring piece of music, and the evening was a visual treat as well, thanks to stunning videos produced by the Adler Planetarium’s José Francisco Salgado. They are masterful portraits of the planets, combining historical documents with modern-day images and simulations. Though clearly designed to match up with Holst’s music, Salgado’s videos can only do so with limited success. His video of Mars, for instance, features simulated footage of one of the Mars rovers parachuting and bouncing its way to a landing, then unfurling a curious arm to reach for a Martian rock. This jaunty vision is difficult to match with the aggressive, martial tone of Holst’s movement. Mars may be named for the Roman god of war, but today it is considered the most hospitable planet in the solar system outside of Earth. Whether it will be welcoming if or when we get there is anyone’s guess. More on these topics: